Lost Puzzle Pieces
by Saperia
Summary: According to Rihan, Rikuo died when he was 6 years old. But 4 years later a human boy with the same name appears past out in front of the Nura mansion, what's the connection?
1. Chapter 1: Rikuo Kato

**Rating:** T for language, violence, (this is not a hardcore yaoi but you might notice some RihanxRikuo is you tilt your head and cross your eyes ;) ), and AU, extreme oOCness (but it fits with the AU I promise!), and possible spelling and grammar mistakes.

**A/N:** hey! So this is just an idea that bombarded my head one day xD I hope you enjoy it! (IMPORTANT: Also, as an explanation, in this universe, Rikuo is 3/4 Yokai and one fourth human. Rihan married Yamabuki Otome instead of Wakana and Rikuo was born as a yokai and doesn't show any signs of having a human form.)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own NuraMago (even if I wish I did)

* * *

Lost Puzzle Pieces

**Chapter 1**

Rikuo double checked the list for his paper route. The address matched that of the creepy old mansion in front of him. However, when he checked the sheet it showed that the "preferred method of Delivery" column was blank.

If there hadn't been a giant gate he would have just left it in their yard like he normally did, but now his path was blocked. He had already gotten into trouble with his boss before for doing it wrong before so he decided that he should just go and ask how they would want it delivered.

Rikuo reached and knocked on the gate.

It was then that he felt the numbing pain throbbing in his skull. He felt an attack coming on.

"Not now..." he thought as he passed out in front of the gate.

* * *

Rihan was sitting in the sakura tree when he spotted a boy riding a bike filled with papers stop outside of the main house gates.

The boy knocked on the door.

"What is he-" Rihan started, but was cut short as the boy suddenly clasped on the ground.

Rihan's heart skipped a beat and he jumped down from the tree and flung the door open.

"Oi! Kid are you ok?" he called.

The kid didn't move.

'Oh no.' Rihan thought.

Without any more thought he picked the boy up bridal style in his arms and carried him into the mansion, shutting the gate behind him.

Yokai began to crowd around him to see what was going on and what their master was carrying. It was easy to understand that they were more than surprised to see a human boy in his arms, a couple of them asked things like: "is that boy dead?"

If Rihan didn't know better he would have thought so too. The boys breathing rate was incredibly slow. However, the young boy didn't appear to be in any pain, in fact his face was almost peaceful.

There was a lot of bustling from around the mansion as the news of their sudden guest spread like wildfire. Rihan didn't know exactly what was wrong and since it wasn't a physical injury he didn't think that his mild healing powers would be any help.

The only thing he could do was wait.

* * *

Rikuo sensed himself being pulled back into reality. It was a familiar feeling, for this happened to him often. He referred to them as "attacks", or at least that's what the doctor told him they were. The best explanation that the doctor could come up with for them was that he has experienced extreme head trauma when he was little. It was also used to explain his amnesia.

Light seeped through his eyelids as he blinked away the dizzy feeling. Seeing light was unusual, since most of his attacks happened at night, in fact he could count on his fingers how many times it had happened during the day. That was the reason that he was able to have a job and go to school like a normal person.

The dizziness past as soon as it had come.

When Rikuo sat up he found himself sitting in bed in an old style house.

'Where am I?' He thought.

A young girl about his age smiled as she walked in through the sliding door facing a garden. She had blue and black hair and was wearing a white kimono.

"Oh! You're up! I'll go inform Rihan-sama!"

Rikuo tried to retrace his steps from before the attack. He had been delivering paper... then the incomplete form... knocking on the mansion gate...that's it! He must be inside the mansion.

...

By the time Rihan got to the room the boy was already sitting up, looking completely healthy. One wouldn't know that only a little while back the boy had passed out of nowhere.

"You feeling better?" Rihan questioned the boy from the doorway.

The boy nodded and blushed in embarrassment, "yes, thank you."

Rihan plopped himself down next to the futon the boy was sitting on

"Do you want to tell me what that was all about?" he asked in a tone that he used to talk to kids with.

"Umm...well, I have some medical problems that can cause me to pass out sometimes. It hasn't happened lately so I thought I would be safe to deliver papers, I didn't think I would end up passing out on your front step. I'm sorry!" The brown haired boy bowed apologetically.

Rihan sighed with relief that the boy wasn't injured.

"What's your name?" Rihan inquired.

The boy sat back up, "Rikuo Kato."

Rihan felt a needle of pain stab his heart. The boy had the same first name as his late son.

Rikuo became worried after a minute past with no reply, "ummm.. sir?"

"Rihan Nura," the man replied. His bad mood had disappeared. Or moreover he had only shoved it under the surface. After so many years he had become better at hiding the pain.

The more Rikuo looked at the man the more he felt like he should know him. However do to his amnesia this was quite common for him. He often looked at something that he should recognize but find himself reaching into an empty mind.

Rikuo snapped out of the man's deep yellow eyes, "I'm sorry for troubling you, I should be going now." He commented while rising himself from the Futon.

"Wait, you should at least stay for tea," Rihan grinned, "it's been a while since we've had a guest like you."

"Like me?" Rikuo wondered. Little did he know that Rihan was referring to the fact that the only ones to ever visit were yokai.

Rikuo was wary of being in the house of someone he didn't know. Not only that but he also had to deliver papers still and judging by how far sun shown up in the sky about an hour had past while he was out. However, the man had helped him out so the least he could do was agree to have tea with him.

Rihan called from the room, "Tsurara!"

The voice of the blue haired girl from earlier called back, "right away master!"

"'Master... how much money does this guy have? A mansion and servants?" Rikuo thought to himself. The whole thing seemed like a plot out of a manga.

A moment later Tsurara appeared with some cups of tea and Rihan motioned for Rikuo to move over to the table located in the corner of the room.

Rikuo nodded and went over the table while Tsurara bowed and scurried off in the direction that she had come.

Rikuo sipped his tea and glanced around the room to avoid looking into the deep eyes of the older man. While he was looking around he spotted a picture sitting on the dresser nearby. In the picture was Rihan smiling. He was holding a young boy of about six years old with white and Black coloured hair in his arms. They were both smiling. Once again he felt the missing feeling like he should know the boy somehow.

"Is that your son?" Rikuo asked curiously in between sips of the tea.

Rihan glanced down, "yeah that's my late son. The picture was taken a while ago..." He trailed off before adding on an offhand note, "He would be about your age this year."

Rikuo didn't know what to say to something as terrible as that so he only managed a, "I'm sorry."

There was a awkward silence. Rikuo knew it would be rude but he couldn't help himself from asking, "how did it happen?"

Rihan glanced up and put on another one of his strong faces, "there was a fire four years ago. It wasn't anyone's fault, just the old wiring in the house. I lost him along with my wife."

"I'm sorry," Rikuo said again, feeling terrible for making him bring up something like that.

Rihan brushed it off by quickly changing the subject, "hey Kato-kun," he asked, feeling uncomfortable calling him by his sons name, "do you believe in yokai?"

Rikuo almost choked on his tea. What a strange question!

"I don't think there aren't any," he replied.

"Interesting," Rihan grinned, pulling Rikuo off this train of thought, "I feel like I know a few things about them myself."

However, Rikuo was more familiar with yokai than he would have liked. At his school he was part a yokai investigating club that was obsessed with finding yokai. Rikuo wasn't really sure that they were really real but he still remembered the day the Kiyotsugu had asked for people to join his yokai hunting club. In fact he also recalled that right after being asked was the first time Rikuo had had an attack during the day.

Rikuo quickly drank the tea given to him, "well I think I should get back my job of delivering papers."

Rihan nodded, "well, feel free to come back anytime."

Rikuo stood and bowed, however before he could leave he remembered the reason why he had knocked on the door in the first place, "um, how would you like your paper delivered?"

Rihan pondered it for a second, "why don't you leave it on the front step," and then added after a moment, "The gate is always open."

Rikuo nodded and smiled at him with his honey brown eyes.

Rihan wished the boy would come and visit again. He felt happy whenever he was around. It was like the hole in his heart was temporarily filled whenever the boy smiled. Maybe it was because of the age of the boy being so similar to his Rikuo and that the boy shared the same name. And also, by having the boy deliver the papers to his doorstep he would be able to see him again.

"Thank you, Rihan-san!" Rikuo smiled as he ran out the gate to deliver the rest of the papers.

* * *

It was afternoon by the time Rikuo had finished his paper route. When he got home he found that the small apartment he shared with his aunt was empty, which was unusual. His aunt wasn't working today and she would have told him if she was going to be going out.

The more time past, the more Rikuo began to worry that something had happened to her. So he called her cell phone. No answer.

The sun was now setting and he called again. No answer.

Then there was a knock at the door.

Rikuo felt relief flood through him. His aunt must have finally come home.

The lock clicked open and his aunt trudged into the apartment. However, she showed no signs that he had been shopping all day; she had no bags, nor that she had been abducted; her expressions was not one of worry.

"Aunt Misaki! Are you ok? Where were you?" Rikuo started out shouting in concern but then trailed off when he met his aunts deep green eyes. They looked different than he'd ever seen them. They looked... creepy.

A malevolent expression played on her face as she walked slowly over to Rikuo, "You see Rikuo, I thought that things were going fine with us. But it seems you made some knew friends today. That's too bad. We can't have you running away."

Rikuo tensed from the tone of his aunt's voice, "what are you-" he started slowly but was cut off once he saw what his aunt pulled out of her pocket.

It was a tranquilizer.

Rikuo bolted.

* * *

Rihan lay lazily in the sakura tree drinking sake. The moon was beginning to show in the sky. To him this was the sunrise.

The whole mansion was filled with noise as yokai partied and danced around in yard and filled themselves full of sake and food. To anyone else it may have appeared to be a special occasion, but to him, it was actually no different then most days in the Nura Gumi's main house.

Rihan wasn't in the mood for partying and hadn't been so in a while. Meeting the boy that day had only made the feeling of loss worse.

However, the happy festivities were soon interrupted when a boy with blood all over his body flung open the gates of the Nura main house.

"Rihan-san!" the boy cried in a breaking voice before falling onto the ground.

* * *

**A/N**: Well there you have it! The first chapter of my new story!

I've already started the next chapter so I can say it'll be a fast update And thanks to Spiro for proof reading it like always

Please review! :)


	2. Chapter 2: Breaking the Seal

**Rated: **T for language, violence, AU, slight oOCness, and possible grammar and spelling mistakes

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! please enjoy :)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own NuraMago

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Rihan carried the boy into the same room he had earlier that day. The only difference was that this time the boy was awake and now the yokai were no longer hiding.

"Oi! Stay back," Rihan commanded as the yokai tried to jam themselves into the room to see what was going on, "Tsurara, can you grab some bandages?"

Rihan turned attention to the boy laying on the futon. The front half of this shirt had been ripped and showed a deep gash across his chest. There was a less deep cut above his eyebrow however it was bleeding furiously. Not only that but the boy reeked of yoki, whatever had attacked him was not human. Somehow, although the boy was awake.

"What happened?" Rihan asked seriously.

The boy made a debating face momentarily as he decided if he should tell him the truth or not. Although a previous conversation he had with the man before him made Rikuo tell him the truth.

"I was attacked by my aunt. She told me that she couldn't let me run free anymore so she pulled out a sedative to try to knock me out. So I ran, I made it out of the house. But there where men... err, more like monsters...waiting outside. I just ran and ran... and then I came here." Rikuo's eyes shown with confusion and if he wasn't in the presence of others he probably wouldn't have been holding back his tears as well.

Rihan's gaze became less stern but in his mind was running over a million possibilities. He wanted to ask why his aunt would do such a thing and why he was being targeted, but he knew that the boy wouldn't know.

When Rikuo looked around the room he found himself staring into the faces of the yokai around him.

They looked back at him with big shocked eyes. Rikuo knew he should feel shocked, or scared even. But he didn't. It was weird because for the first time in a long time he felt at home. It was a feeling he had never gotten from ether of the houses he had staying in with his aunt over the past four years after losing his memory.

Rikuo relaxed his muscles a little. Here, even after what had happened he began to feel at home.

Meanwhile, Rihan was examining the boy's wounds. There was a few things he could fix himself with his healing powers he inherited from his mother, but there was still a few things he would not be able to fix. For example the gash on his chest would kill Rihan with the amount of energy it would take to heal. Luckily if he could do a patch job now there was someone who would be able to heal the boy completely.

"Karasutengu!" Rihan called.

The little bird in the yakuta appeared into front of him, "yes master."

"BringvZen for me. Tell him it's urgent."

Karsutengu nodded and flew away into the night to go get the Nura Clans healing and poisons expert, Zen.

* * *

It was hours later that Zen arrived. During the time between the Nura clan had been a brim with activity as yokai tried to understand what was going on.

The whole time Rihan has stayed at the boy's side and used his power to stop the blood from his wounds from flowing out.

Rikuo had long since passed out from the pain.

Rihan felt a strong urge that he had to save the boy. Deep down it must have been because of how much the boy reminded him of his own son, even though he barely knew the boy. But when he thought about the boy dying, he felt himself reliving the death of his son.

When Zen appeared in the Gloom Cart he pushed other yokai aside to get through

"Nidaime, how is he?" he inquired. Karasutengu had filled him in on the way.

"He seems stable," Rihan panted.

The look on his masters face showed Zen just how tired the black haired yokai was. He was using up all of his energy on healing and it was destroying him physically, "Nidaime, please let me take it from here."

Rihan didn't want to stop but he backed away and leaned against the wall as he stumbled out into the cold night air to cool himself off.

Zen's healing abilities were much better than his as he was able to get the boy healed, bandaged up, and fixed within the hour.

When Rihan came back into the room Rikuo was sleep peacefully and Zen was repacking a medical bag full of bottles and other various medical tools he might have needed.

Zen walked over to Rihan and motioned for him to step outside.

"What is it?" Rihan asked. He could see on his subordinates face that something was troubling him.

Zen leaned in so any yokai that might be around couldn't hear him, "listen, Rihan-sama. While I was healing him, I noticed something. That boy has a seal inside him. I don't know what it's for but it is pretty well hidden. However it's not very strong, I think I could break it. The thing is, I don't know what it's sealing."

Rihan took a moment to mull over what Zen had told him. Rihan remembered that the boy had told him that morning that he had amnesia. Did that mean that the seal inside him was the cause of it?

"Break it." Rihan murmured. It was wrong to interfere with someone's life, but if the boy was being attacked, by yokai none the less, there must be a reason for it. If Zen broke the seal the boy may remember why he is being attacked.

Zen nodded, "Very well."

Rihan followed Zen into the room where the boy lay and leaned up against the wall as Zen sat down next to the boy with his legs crossed.

Zen knew that the boy was passed out, but he still talked to the boy like he was awake, "Rikuo, this is going to hurt ok?"

Zen's hand began to glow and he placed it over the boy's heart.

He surrounded the seal with his yoki until it shattered and disappeared.

At first nothing happened. Zen drew back his fear and Rihan leaned closer to see if anything had changed.

The boy scrunched his eyes closed suddenly and then curled his body into a tight ball before throwing himself into a sitting position like he had been hit by lightening. Light surrounded his body.

Then he started to scream

* * *

Rikuo felt pain race threw his body. It was hot and searing, like being through in a vat of acid. The things he couldn't remember before came flooding back to him all at once and felt like he was being caught in an avalanche of his own memories.

The pain left his body as quickly as it had come.

Slowly he unclenched his hands and opened his eyes. When he did so he was met with a wide pair of bright yellow eyes.

"Dad..." he murmured before passing out into the darkness again.

* * *

A/N: Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger like that and please review! ^.^

I'll update about a week or two, maybe faster ;) And the next update will be longer, promise!


	3. Chapter 3: Rikuo Nura

**A/N: **Here it is! The continuation from the cliffhanger :) Oh and has a note of explanation: Nurarihyon is not a old man in this story since this is an AU in which there was no Hagoromo Gitsune incident, which can also be used to explain by Rihan is still alive.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own NuraMago! (even if I wish I did...)

* * *

Chapter 3

The boy was withering on the floor only moments ago. But now he was sitting up straight and looking at Rihan though the deep crimson eyes of the boy with white and black colored hair.

Rihan's eyes widened.

"Dad..." the tenor voice murmured to him.

The boy fell and Rihan leaned forward to catch him in his arms.

Everything Rihan had tried to hold him hit him all at once and tears filled his eyes, "Rikuo," he mumbled over and over to the boy in his arms. He refused to take his eyes off of him, as if, once he did the boy would slip away from him again.

All the while Zen watched in shock as the events panned out.

Hearing Rikuo's screams yokai began to shout and run in the direction of the room. However, once they entered, they quieted to nothing. For a moment the only sounds Rihan's voice mumbling and the commotion outside.

Then the noise came and hit the room. There was yokai crying for joy while others called out to tell all the other yokai the news.

It was the day that no one thought was possible. The day the young master would come back to them.

* * *

When Rikuo woke up again he was surrounded. It was like the whole clan had managed to squeeze themselves into the tiny room. Everyone was talking at once and it was impossible to pin point any single conversation.

Rikuo took a deep breath. The air smelled clearer now. He could sense things he hadn't sensed in years. His mind was no longer empty and he could remember everything as if it had never been gone. He remembered that he was a yokai and the next in line to inherit the Nura Gumi. He was a year younger than being an adult. He played pranks on the other yokai. His dad was Rihan Nura and he was Rikuo. Rikuo Nura.

His dad was the first to notice that his son had opened his eyes, "Rikuo!"

Rikuo sat up slowly to avoid the pain in his chest, but surprisingly he felt none. After twisting his body he was able to conclude that his wounds had completely healed.

Rikuo looked at the black haired man in front of him, "Dad."

Once again the word made Rihan's heart skip a beat. By saying that he knew the whole thing wasn't a lie.

Everyone was silent as they waited for either of them to say anything. After a slightly uncomfortable silence Rikuo broke it by smiling.

"I'm home."

After moment everyone's faces lit up and they called back, "Welcome home!"

Rihan grinned at him while everyone starting to try to talk itoRikuo all at once and frankly Rikuo couldn't hear any of them.

"Oi! Give Rikuo some space, everyone can talk to him soon," Rihan commanded and then pointed to a few yokai in the corner, "you guys stay."

As everyone else trudged out of the room the following yokai remained: Zen, Tsurara, Aotabo, Kurotabo, Kubinashi, Kejoro, and Kappa. However this was still plenty and the whole futon was surrounded.

While everyone was getting resituated, Rihan looked hard at his son. He looked the same for the most part, only bigger. If Rikuo was standing he would have guessed he was about his height. His face had lost a lot of its baby fat and he looked more like an adult, which now that he thought about it Rikuo would be an adult that year.

"Do you still have your amnesia?" Rihan inquired.

"No not anymore," Rikuo smiled, "and it's nice to think about the past and not see blank spaces."

Rikuo didn't have to be asked to answer the question they were all thinking, "I don't know who took me away other than it must be the same people who were working with my 'aunt'."

Rihan was furious at whoever had done this but at the moment he was too caught up in the fact that his son was alive still.

This was a true reason to celebrate.

* * *

It was much past midnight when Nurarihyon came home from his trip to visiting the head of the 88 demons of Shikoku. When he came home he found that the main house was in the middle of the biggest party he had seen in a long time, since before his grandson and daughter in law had passed away. He was able to hear the noises of the group long before he had actually entered the gate.

When he came in the greetings were excited but also unusual. Yokai whispered to each other and some ran off quickly as if to tell the others of Nurarihyon's return.

Nurarihyon remained in confusion of the strange atmosphere until a voice called to him from the front steps.

"Oi! Grandpa!"

'Grandpa,' Nurarihyon wondered as he looked over at the steps. Who would dare speak to him so rudely?

Standing there on the steps was his grandson. His 'dead' grandson.

"Rikuo..." Nurarihyon said cautiously to the boy that was running toward him. It had to be a trick right? Had he drank too much sake that night?

The boy ran up and embraced man in a hug. Rikuo was only a couple centimeters shorter than his grandfather now and was at eye level with him.

Hallucinations weren't that real, "Rikuo? How?"

Rikuo stepped back. He tried to explain in a few sentences what had happened to him but it was something that was hard to sum up.

Nurarihyon was still as confused as ever about what had happened to his grandson but he decided to worry about the details later. All that mattered now was that this really was his grandson and he was alive.

* * *

By three-thirty in the morning Rikuo was exhausted. He had been greeted by every yokai in the house. A lot of his time was spent with Rihan clinging to him like glue and Tsurara crying tears of ice. Everyone was now very drunk and that made the conversations even weirder and more incoherent.

The front yard was empty for the most part so Rikuo took the opportunity to escape from the spotlight. He grabbed a cup of sake off the table and jumped up to into the sakura tree. However, he nearly fell out of it when almost landed on his dad who was already in the tree.

Rihan yelped as his son barely dodged him and landed dangerously on the edge of the branch.

Rikuo let out his breath as he realized that he somehow managed not to spill the sake all over himself.

"Well that was close," Rihan laughed, giving one of his lopsided grins.

"No kidding," Rikuo grumbled, positioning himself on the edge of one of the branches so he wouldn't fall off.

There was a silence, but it wasn't awkward. After so long they only wanted time to enjoy each other's company.

Rikuo looked at his hands in the light of the full moon. They looked a lot different than they had that morning.

"How's it feel?" Rihan asked curiously.

"Like there's a weight that's been lifted off me..." Rikuo confessed.

Rihan smiled. He felt the same way. All the years Rikuo had been gone he had beat himself up over it. The clan was in a mess and his father was left to do much of the leadership and upkeep. In fact Nurarihyon had been on one such venture that night when he had gone to secure a peace treaty with nearby clan.

"It's a good thing you ordered that paper subscription," Rikuo laughed. He may have never come back to the main house is it wasn't for that.

Rihan smiled, "yeah."

Rikuo looked up at the stars. So many things could have gone differently. He could have never got the job. His 'aunt' could have succeeded. He could have never got that black out. Something had drawn them back together.

It was fate.

* * *

**A/N**: Please review! ;D

This chapter was pretty short but I thought that this would be a good place to end for now, I'll update in about the same time (around a week or two!) Thanks for reading! Also I just realized that Rikuo seems to faint a lot in this story... oh well! Hopefully that wouldn't happen to many more times xD


	4. Chapter 4: The Meeting

**A/N: **Thanks for everyone who reviewed last time :D It makes me so happy to read your reviews

For anyone who is wondering who the enemy is, its not Hagoromo Gitsune since she isn't in this AU but the enemy isn't on really and OC ;) more about them will come up in a few chapters from now

* * *

**Chapter 4**

The next day Rikuo woke up he wished the sun had an off switch. When he was a human he didn't mind the sun but now he remembered that he had a grudge with it (the hangover wasn't helping much either).

Rikuo thought about everything that had happened. To think, if only his dad hadn't signed up for a paper route he would still be getting up for school today. School. He wondered what "his aunt" would tell everyone. Well chances where she'd probably not even bother.

Rikuo sighed. It was all too much thought for his brain so he just gave up and decided to think about the whole thing after he was more awake.

* * *

When Rikuo entered the kitchen, the house was a mess. The whole main hall was littered with junk and various smaller yokai were passed out drunk on the floor.

In the middle of it all was Tsurara who was frantically trying to clean up the mess with the help of a very hung over Kejoro, who had her hands over his eyes and was mumbling something about never drinking again.

"Do you want any help?" Rikuo offered from the doorway.

"Eh!"Tsurara jumped, she hadn't noticed that he came entered the room, "Oh! Good morning Rikuo-sama! But really we've got it under control."

Rikuo laughed in his tenor voice, which was much deeper than before he had disappeared, "it really doesn't look like it."

Tsurara blushed deeply, "well this was the craziest party the Nura Clan has seen in centuries," she told him, while he was already helping clean up despite her protests.

He gave her a lopsided grin that made him look more like the twelve year old he was than the older teen he looked like.

She felt her face heat up, "What do I say to that look?" she thought frantically, but sadly, her brain abandoned her and she was left to work in the uncomfortable silence with the kid she used to look after, who had suddenly turned into a handsome young man when she wasn't looking.

"Welcome back!" she told him.

"Thanks," Rikuo said sweat dropping, hearing that was starting to drive him a little crazy since he had been told that a thousand and one times last night.

"Geez Tsurara, not so loud!" Kejoro moaned in pain. Since the clan didn't have as many parties as it used to Kejoro's alcohol tolerance had left.

Suddenly there was a call from down the hall, "Rikuo!"

This was followed by Rihan flinging himself into the room, still in his night clothes.

"Yes, dad?" Rikuo asked confused.

"There's an emergency generals meeting happening now," he told him and then glanced down at his son's night clothes, "put on something formal!"

"Shouldn't you do the same?"

Rihan looked at his own clothing, "right!" he said running out of the room growling something that sounded like, "stupid out man! Why does he call a meeting and then not tell me! I'm the head, I should be the one to make the decisions..."

"Wow... Rihan-sama has been acting like a spaz since Rikuo got back..." Kejoro laughed.

"At least he's happier," Tsurara smiled back.

* * *

Yokai from around the Kanto region were slowly flowing into the main house.

Rikuo tugged at the formal yakuta which he found rather uncomfortable for having worn jeans and t-shirts for the past three years.

He sat at the front of the room on the right of his father and grandfather.

The heads of the clans started to come into the room and there were whispers. He could tell they were talking about him. It had been so long since he had attended a meeting. The last time he could remember was when he had been officially appointed as the third when he was six.

It seemed like there was every clan head there, which had to be a record high attendance rate for such short notice.

Rihan coughed and stated the meeting, "It is pleasure to call you all into a meeting. I'm sure you've all heard the news by now of my son Rikuo's return. It came as a shock to all of us. But that's not the only thing; it seems that we have a new enemy to fight."

Rihan motioned for Rikuo to explain.

Rikuo nodded and continued for him, "When I was taken I was placed under the hypnosis of an unknown enemy, who seem to be working with a group of humans. "

"Humans?" they whispered.

Rikuo ignored them and keep going, "They kept me alive and may have been planning to use me as bate. But whoever they are, chances are they will not stay hidden longer. We need to be prepared for a secondary attack at any time. It may not be the main house next time. So everyone should stay on their guard."

Nurarihyon smiled a little, his grandson still had a knack for getting a coward to listen to him.

Nurarihyon said a few words on ways to protect the individual groups and assigned some jobs. Rihan then officially closed the meeting. Until they knew more about who and what the enemy was, there was not much they could do other than stay on their toes.

This time Rikuo was not swamped by yokai like the night before, besides the occasional "welcome back." Instead, he had to deal with being watched and whispered about which was much more unnerving to him. It was obvious that a few of them were suspicious of him for suddenly appearing, but he knew only time would ease their nerves.

Rikuo was sitting deck on the front watching the yokai leave from the meeting when he felt a hand on his shoulder, "hey Rikuo-sama!"

"Zen-san!" Rikuo grinned as he looked at the older yokai with his crimson red eyes.

"Please!" Zen sighed, "that's to formal, call me Zen."

"But you still call me Rikuo-sama," he asked questionably.

"That's different!" Zen pouted at him.

Rikuo laughed.

There was a silence and Zen came and sat on the edge of the deck next to Rikuo.

A few small yokai were chasing each other through the yard while Tsurara carried baskets of laundry to and from each of the rooms. Kappa was swimming lazily in the pond and Kurotabo was arguing with Aotabo over a pointless matter. Everyone was acting like they had four years ago. It was almost like nothing had even changed.

"It's amazing how quickly things go back to normal..." Rikuo trailed off sighing.

* * *

The morning later Rikuo was laying on the deck. It was his favorite spot during the day since it was cool in the morning and faced away from the sun.

The crimson eyed yokai was thinking about his friends from school. Did they notice he was gone? He didn't miss anything about his life for the past four years besides the time he had spent with his friends. Which got him thinking...

Kubinashi walked by, "good morning Rikuo-sama!"

"Morning," Rikuo replied, "I was wondering."

"About what?" Kubinashi questioned.

"How are yokai able to transform into a human form?"

Kubinashi leaned against one of the suppost beams and crossed his arms, "hmmm... Well, I've never been good at it myself, but all you have to do is clear you mind. It's a lot like using yoki, expect you... sorta ... well it's like cloaking yourself in your yoki... maybe..." he was having trouble explaining so he moved on, "it shouldn't be that hard for you to do though since your one forth human."

"Good point," Rikuo pondered, still deep in thought.

"Why do you want to try to disguise yourself as a human?" Kubinashi asked suspiciously.

"No reason," Rikuo lied.

Kubinashi sighed, "just don't do anything stupid."

Rikuo nodded as the neck-less yokai walked away.

Rikuo took a deep breath. This couldn't be that hard, right?

He focused and concentrated, however when he opened his eyes he was still the same. So he tried again. And again.

After many times he became so annoyed. No one else seemed to have this problem.

Maybe he should approach it from another angle. He thought about what it felt like to be human. How he felt when was in class, when he was sitting in the sunlight without getting annoyed, when he would talk with all his friends about mundane things.

This time, when he opened his eyes he was in his human form.

"Yes!" he cried.

* * *

~Meanwhile~

Nurarihyon was annoyed. His idiot son had took his pipe again, and then lost it! Sometimes he wondered if he did things like this on purpose as a trick.

While he was deep in thought, he had neglected to pay attention to where he was walking. He didn't notice the boy sitting on the deck until he tripped over him.

"Gahh!" He cried as he face planted on the ground.

A human. He could sense it. The boy that he had tripped over was human.

What was a human doing here? Wait didn't Rikuo say he was attacked by humans?

Nurarihyon brushed himself off and turned around with evil intent in his eyes.

"You're here to try to take Rikuo again aren't you?" Nurarihyon growled.

The brown haired boy stared at him in shock, "what?"

Nurarihyon grabbed the boy by the collar and pulled him off the ground.

"How'd you get in here?" he growled.

The boy, now thoroughly annoyed was trying to explain, but the lack of oxygen made it hard.

When Rihan rounded the corner he was met with a very confusing situation. What was his dad doing almost choking his son?

"Oi what the fuck are you doing?" Rihan yelled at his dad.

Nurarihyon turned in shock from his son's sudden appearance and his grip on "Rikuo's kidnapper" loosened enough for him to break free.

"This human broke in. He must be one of the kidnappers Rikuo was talking about."

The brown haired boy used the opportunity, "Grandpa it's me! Rikuo."

Nurarihyon turned and stared, "RIKUO?"

Rihan sighed, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to straggle my son!"

"Sorry Rikuo," Nurarihyon apologized embarrassed and then added under his breath, "how was I suppost to know?"

Sweat dropped off Rikuo's forehead, "don't you even ask someone their name before you attack them?"

"Yeah, yeah," Nurarihyon sighed.

"Anyway," Rihan asked, "why are you in your human form?"

"Right!" Rikuo remembered that reason why he had been trying to get it right in the first place, "I'm going to go back to school."

Rihan and Nurarihyon's faces went blank.

"What?"

* * *

I will try to update fast but I have finals coming up so it may be a little longer. Oh and thanks to Spiro for proofreading as always.

Please review :D


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